


Vessels (Dustin Bates)

by MGGProductions



Series: The Starset Series [2]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), STARSET (Band), The Pretty Reckless
Genre: F/M, Sadness, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-02-28 06:53:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18751255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MGGProductions/pseuds/MGGProductions
Summary: "Bates! Stay with me, Bates! Come on! Don't do this to me! Dustin! You can't do this to me! Dustin!"Shaylee Diaz, 5504Former Captain of team 5501.Former Carnivore.Former Pawn of the F.E.CCurrent MessengerCaptain.Status: AliveWhereabouts: UnknownDustin Bates, 3301Former Alexi Engineer,Former Teacher,Former Pawn of the F.E.CCurrent Messenger EngineerStatus: AliveWhereabouts: UnknownWanted fugitives and targets of the F.E.C, the Team aligns themselves fully with The Messengers. Mission after mission is a success, but nothing has ever ended perfectly. No war is ever won with no bloodshed.This is not a businessman's war, this is a war against evil and the monstrosities of the enemy. But how do you fight a monstrosity when it use to be the one you loved the most?





	1. The Order

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The demon that stared me down from the corner of my room half the time I was writing this](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+demon+that+stared+me+down+from+the+corner+of+my+room+half+the+time+I+was+writing+this).



Safety. It's what we all long for. However, as a Messenger, we are never safe. 

Team 5501 had been with The Messengers for six months and in those six months, we had had four close calls with The FEC finding us. In those six months, the team and I had returned to Alexi twice undercover to snoop out the FEC. Shay had gone alone the last time. That's where our story picks up. Ron, Brock, Adam, and myself attempting to help her get out. 

"Shaylee!" Ron yelled, trying to get her attention from where she had been throwing other Carnivores. 

"What?" She yelled back, golden hair following the swing of her head. 

"We need to get out! Not everyone is practically invincible here!" He backed up closer to her, trying to stand back to back so he didn't have to shout over the sound of firing guns, but she had disregarded her weapon a while ago, yelling that it was more difficult to use than just using her Carnivore abilities on them. 

"And whose fault is that, DeChant?" She rushed forward, literally tearing the throat out of one of the attackers. "Yuck! That was a horrible idea!" She yelled, wiping her hand on her black pants. 

"Diaz! Stop blooding up your clothes! You've gone through literally four pairs in two months! Doctor's gonna start thinking it's because Bates keeps tearing them off of you!" Adam's laughter rang over the sound of our guns and the screams of our victims. 

"Shut the fuck up, Adam!" She yelled back, chasing down her next target.

"Yeah, uh, I don't do that. Really, I see value in clothes. So, no. No, please don't," I argued,  taking out one over Adam's head. He huffed. 

"We know, we know." He rolled his eyes, running in closer to me. 

"Guys! We really need to get out. Sio is here to pick us up!" Brock called to us. Shay sighed, snapping the spine of one more Carnivore. 

"Okay! Fine! Retreat!" Her voice carried the order. We all began to back out of the room so we could go back to Prox. We made it up the stairs. At the top, some human guards started to stop us, but Shaylee, who was leading the party, pushed them out of the way, sending them into the walls around. We made our way out without any further problem. "Load up." She turned, staring back at the building as the rest of us got on. Her eyes were trained on one window. I followed her line of vision. 

A man stood staring down at us. He had salt and pepper hair, cold blue eyes, a straight nose, and a stoic face. He seemed to be staring back at Shaylee. It was a mirror. He nodded to her. She sneered, throwing up her middle finger before boarding behind me. The two of us sat down together. Everyone else was walking around the cabin as we took off. We knew we would be chased. It was typical, but we knew how to lose them. I slowly let my fingers thread between Shaylee's. 

"That man..." I started, my voice soft so only she could hear me. 

"Yes..." She didn't even need to wait for the rest of my question. "That was him. That's my father." Her voice was even quieter than mine. "I met him and got to fully understand him while I was there. Worse than anything I could ever think of doing. Human or not at this point, that man is more of a monster than all the genetic modification in the world could make me."

I sighed, letting go of her hand. Her eyes flew up from her lap to mine, hurt evident in them. I smiled softly, letting her know that I didn't let go for the reason's she expected. I slowly reached under the curtain of long blonde hair to the back of her neck. She winced as I pulled the small chip off of her, the blonde hair and brown eyes she had to disguise herself going away, sending her back into her striking blue eyes and black hair. 

"There's my girl," I whispered, pulling her closer to me. She leaned into my neck, allowing me to hold her.  Covered in blood, exhausted, but alive. My family was still alive. All that mattered was on that ship. I just wanted to get back to the place where I knew we could let our guard down for just a little bit. 

Home. 

Home was on a faraway planet, where only The Messengers had set up. The entire planet was cloaked, and had state of the art security, far beyond that of The FEC's. The FEC could out-power us, but we could outsmart them.

Siobhan flew us past the defenses, flying us down onto the runway. Shay was the first one off the plane, running to find Aston. 

I had grown use to their relationship. It was much like what I understood her relationship to Thomson to be. It was parental. I walked off the plane moments later, being greeted with fast walking people, all working on different things. 

"Doctor! Doctor Bates!" I froze upon hearing my name. I slowly turned, allowing the rest of the team to pass me. I turned to see a young man with curly brown hair and innocent brown eyes chasing after me. I waited for him to catch up to me. 

"Can I help you?" I asked, crossing my arms. I wasn't trying to be curt, but I was kind of tired. 

"Doctor Bates, I heard that you were the one to take Doctor Thomson's position, and I know that means you must be intelligent and creative, so I was wondering if you would look at a few things I've been working on." He spoke very quickly. He seemed very jittery, as if he had drunk way too much coffee in an hour. He was nervous. 

"Yeah, sure. Just, not this moment. I'm sorry, but I need to go report. Just come find my lab later and get me." I told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, positively beaming at me. 

"Okay! Thank you so much, Doctor Bates!" He quickly grabbed me, hugging me tightly. I smiled politely, moving back. 

"No problem... uh..." I had no idea who this kid was. He couldn't have been more than nineteen. He looked like a young college student from Alexi, wearing a tan shirt and a slightly darker tan vest with boots and khaki pants. 

"Thomas! Thomas Bell. Engineer for The Messengers! Or, Engineer in training." He smiled at me once more. 

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Thomas. If you would excuse me." I nodded to him, smiling back. I turned and walked away, going to meet everyone else. 

I walked into Aston's office, where everyone else on the team stood around. I stood by Ron, nudging his shoulder with mine. He smiled over at me, shaking his head. I smirked, looking ahead at Aston. 

"So, ready to go again in another month?" He smiled at us, sending us all groaning. 

"Aston! I just got back!" Shay whined from her seat in front of his desk. He smiled. 

"I know, I know. You can have time to recuperate. You will be fine." He assured her, smiling still. She groaned, standing up. 

"You'll have my report by the end of the week. I'm going to shower and sleep." She grabbed my hand as she walked past me, pulling me out of the room with her. She held a tight grip on my hand, but not enough to hurt it. She always made sure not to hurt me. She led me down the hallway that had been dedicated for our team, and into her room, shutting the door behind us. I shook my head and sat down on the bed. 

"So, frustrated?" I asked, laying back as she gathered her clothes. 

"Have I become that see-through to you?" She asked, pulling out comfortable clothes. I laughed, rolling over to watch her move around the room. She slid her pants off, then her blazer jacket, sighing at the long tear in it from a Carnivore's clawed glove. 

"No, no, it's not that. It was your grip. That and I bet you aren't the only one. I feel like we've done more infiltration than anything." I explained, watching her walk into the small bathroom by her room. I looked back up at the ceiling as she walked in. 

"Exactly! I leave for a month, come back for one, and then we're all gone!" She complained. She knew she didn't need to be so loud. She left the door open, after all. 

"You gonna close that?" I asked, referring to the door. I looked up as she poked her head around the door. 

"It's an open invitation, Bates." She rolled her eyes. I heard the water start a moment later. 

I stood up, shrugging off my open jacket. I took off the rest of my clothes while walking to the bathroom, sliding off the remainder in the bathroom. I hadn't had my glasses on all day, so I didn't have those to worry with. I stepped in the shower behind Shaylee, closing the glass door once again. She was washing the blood out of her hair, but I gently moved her hands, taking over instead. 

"Do you ever wonder what you would be like if you hadn't broken free from FEC programming?" I asked her softly, letting my fingers run down her neck and back gently as the water washed the soap from her hair.

"Every single day," she sighed, grabbing the soap in front of her. She growled, scrubbing furiously at the blood stains on her skin. I had grown to notice how similar her growls were to typical Carnivores. It was interesting the traits that still remained. "I mean, every day, killing people, getting blood everywhere, deal with scrubbing it off. Couldn't do it."

I laughed, washing my hair. She turned to look at me over her shoulder, grinning at me. I leaned down to kiss her softly before going back to getting the little bit of blood off me.

"How come you have so little blood on you?" She whined, still scrubbing her arms.

"Well, my darling, no offense, and I still love you and all, but you do literally tear limbs off your victims and I watched you rip somebody's throat out today." I kissed her cheek as a sign that I was playing around.

"Hey, now! I only do that to Carnivores." She turned to me, pouting. I smiled at her, chuckling as I wrapped my arms around her waist to bring us closer together. She smiled back, but it soon dropped when she started looking over my body.

I thought she was mildly upset over the cuts or the scarring gash from a few months ago after my run-in with a real Carnivore, or some other injury. I slowly placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her gaze back up on my eyes.

"Hey, I'm okay," I said softly, going to pull her in for a reassuring hug, but the quizzical look on her face stopped me.

"Dustin, I know you're fine. I'm just confused how the hell you got all the blood off of you without taking off like three layers of skin." I stared at her for a few seconds, just stunned.

"Really, Shay? Damn, and here I thought we were going to have a moment, and I was going to kiss you and assure you that I was okay, but no. You're still on the blood thing." I let go of her and went back to washing off. She kissed me one last time before getting out of the shower to dry off.

I was finished moments later, shutting the water off and climbing out of the shower as well. She had moved into her room, a towel wrapped around her despite her clothes sitting on the small couch in her room. She was putting on a record. Even after leaving Alexi, she managed to get her hands on a Vinyl Player and records. She always claimed she should have been born on Earth.

"Which one is it today?" I asked, running a hand through my wet hair.

"Which one do I literally constantly play? I gotta be careful. This is my third copy. And they're hard to come by!" David Bowie. As always. I sighed, shaking my head, but smiling. Then there was a knock on the door. "Get that for me, please." Shay left me to get the door, going back into the bathroom to brush her hair.

"Fine," I sighed dramatically, dragging myself to the door. I hit the button to open the door just a little.

"Doctor Bates! I figured I would find you here!" Thomas.

" Oh, Thomas. What a surprise. " I was surprised. Only the guys, Aston, and Siobhan knew I was here.

"Dustin, who is it?" Shay walked out from the bathroom, her hair now braided back. She moved beside me so she could see out of the door as well. "Well, I have no idea who you are. My office hours are from seven oh one am to seven oh three am, weekdays only, excluding national holidays. So, if you could please just leave a message, that'd be great." She gave him a short, fake smile before attempting to shut the door.

"Shaylee! No!" I stopped the door and turned to her, picking her up with ease. "Thomas, I'm sorry. Excuse me for one moment." Shay, on the other hand, was telling for me to put her down, saying that she out-ranked me. I set her down on the couch. "Just a minute and then I'm all yours," I promised. She grumbled something, crossing her arms.

I walked out of the doorway, gently mentioning for Thomas to move out of the doorway. I followed him out, letting the door slide shut behind me.

"I'm so sorry about Captain Diaz. She can be... A little... Yeah, I have nothing. She can be a bitch to people she doesn't know." I shook my head at my girlfriend's behavior.

"No, sir. You don't have to apologize. That was an honor." The kid was starstruck. "I've heard rumors and stories about her since I was really young. The great Captain Shaylee Diaz. Former Carnivore of the FEC turned Messenger spy. She is incredible. You're so fortunate to get to work with such a skilled fighter. I hope that something I design could be used by her and the team."

"Yeah... She sure is something else." I mumbled, smiling at the thought of her when we first met. I made a mental note to tell Thomas about when I joined the team, the day that I first came to the compound and she was literally sitting in the middle of my desk reading my file to the rest of the team. "So, what did you want?"

"I didn't think of how late it is and you all just got back from a mission. I was going to see if you could come to look at my stuff, but you and Captain Diaz probably haven't gotten to see each other much in the past month, so, sorry. I'll just see you tomorrow." He turned and walked out of the hallway, leaving me standing confused.

I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded, walking to my room to grab my glasses and some more clothes to take over to leave in Shay's room, despite the fact that I literally took up an entire large drawer in her closet space's bottom. I slid my glasses on as I walked into Shay's room. She was dressed and curled up in her bed. I smiled, quickly dressing in my underwear and pants before throwing what else I had brought in my bin, hurrying to curl up against her.

I laid down on my side of the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer to me. She woke up a little, looking up at me momentarily before curling up with her head on my chest.

"Comfortable, Diaz?" I teased, my fingers beginning to play with the bottoms of her hair. She hummed back in contentment, falling back asleep. Unfortunately for me, my brain was beginning to set itself up for a long night.

I had an idea.

 


	2. Satallite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas is a smart boy who came up with a potentially dangerous piece of equipment.

The next day, I found myself in my lab, working on a plan to put my idea into action. I liked my new lab. It was half the size of my old one, with four tables and my desk instead of ten and an extra office that I rarely used. It was more gray than white as well, which I liked much more. The lights were also softer, making it easier for me to stop. There was also a small window to the outside world.

My idea, however, was not as open as the window made my beautiful workspace. It was proving harder than the shape-changer chips, as they had been dubbed by the team. I heard a knock on my lab door, pulling me out of my daze.

"Come on in," I called, figuring it was Shaylee to come to tell me that I needed to eat or rest for a second, and then that second turn into much longer than just a second. However, when I looked up, I was surprised to see Thomas standing in front of me.

"Good evening, Doctor Bates!"

"Oh, hello, Thomas. I'm sorry, I thought you were Captain Diaz." I moved out from behind my lab table.

"No, sir. Just me." He paused, looking around. "Actually, now that I'm thinking, I haven't seen the Captain around all day." I sighed, groaning a little as well.

"Fantastic. I'll call Ron to go wake her up for a little while." I ran a hand through my hair, ignoring its mess from hours of working and messing with it when I got frustrated.

"So, can I show you my project?" He asked. He looked up to me. I had noticed a lot of people did. I was Thomson's replacement. She was someone who inspired a lot of people.

"Yeah, absolutely, man." I smiled at him, following him out of the room. We walked a good way down the mazes of hallways to his lab, him sliding the door open after unlocking it. His lab was black, splatters of blue on the walls to contrast the black. Other than that, his lab looked just like mine, equally as many parts and projects strewn everywhere. He ran to the table in the back, flipping a switch on the small metal panel.

"So, time travel, yeah?" He didn't bother looking up.

"Yeah."

"I did it." He looked up at me, grinning. My eyes widened.

"Time travel?" I moved closer to him, looking at the device.

"I've tested it repeatedly. It works." He began to twist the different dials. The panel itself was handheld, with a couple of knobs and dials and a receiver on the end. "I'll show you! What time should you have woken up Captain Diaz?"

"Probably around one." He quickly changed the dials and knobs before pressing the button at the bottom. There was a slight flash, but other than that, we were still in the lab.

"Check your watch." He smiled. I looked down at the glass face. It was five past one. "Let's go. The past you is still in your lab. Shouldn't be a problem." I was in awe.

"It worked." I breathed, staring at him.

"Yup. Now c' mon, Doctor Bates." He pulled me out of the lab and down the hallways back to the wing I lived in. I walked over to Shay's door by myself, typing in her passcode and walking in, the door sliding shut behind me.

I walked over, sitting on the bed next to her sleeping form. I placed my hand on her back, gently rubbing it. I watched her breathe, still trying to sleep off her Carnivorous episode. I had learned that that was what happened. She had to sleep off everything she had been through the previous day. I leaned in and kissed her forehead gently, making a trail down her face to her lips. I pulled away, watching as she sighed.

"Well, good afternoon, Diaz." I smiled at her, positioning myself over her.

"Afternoon, Bates," she greeted me, arching her back up to stretch it out. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down closer to her.

"Feel better?" I slowly pushed her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I do. Thanks. How's the idea coming?" She smirked at me. I hadn't told her that I had a new idea.

"It's going alright. More difficult than I anticipated." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. There was a knock on the door. I knew that it was Thomas telling me that we needed to go. She put a hand on my cheek, gently running her thumb under my eye.

"Okay, Dustin. Just, please, don't overwork yourself." I put my hand over hers, smiling down at her. I leaned down to kiss her once more.

"I won't. I promise. Don't go to the gym today. Give your body a day to rest." I stood up from the bed, making my way to the door.

"No promises. I'll see if Ron is playing that game again and I'll annihilate him at that." She grinned at me. I smiled back, shaking my head.

"Take it easy, Shay. I mean it." With that, I walked out of the door, meeting Thomas in the hallway.

"Ready to head back?" He asked, moving the dials. I nodded, rubbing the side of my head. He hit the button, the flash sending us forward in time. We were still outside Shay's room. I looked at Thomas in amazement.

"That is incredible, Thomas. We could change history!" I told him, gripping his shoulders. He shook his head.

"I actually just wanted to keep this between us." He said, putting it in the messenger bag that he carried around. "Time travel has consequences. Just it's not dire enough to risk a complete collapse of time." I sighed, realizing he was right.

"Of course, Thomas. Your secret is safe with me." I gave him an assuring smile.

"Thanks, Doctor Bates." He smiled up at me.d

"No problem. And please, call me Dustin."

"You got it, Dustin. Thanks again." He waved at me before turning and leaving me. I turned and went to find Shay, checking Ron's room first. Surprisingly, sorta, there the two sat, playing a game on the swipetech.

"Suck it, DeChant! I am the victor!" Shaylee yelled, tossing the controller at him from her place on his bed. He turned to look at her from his spot on the floor a few feet away from the bed.

"What the hell, Shay? We were on the same team. You killed me."

"Oh," she mumbled, sitting up.

"Rough day, Ron? " I smirked at him, taking a seat next to Shay. She smiled over at me briefly before looking back at Ron.

"You could say that." He grumbled, throwing the controller back at Shay. She moved and caught it easily, tossing it down next to her.

"Well, I have not gotten to see my favorite person all day so, I'm going to dinner with my man." Shay took my hand in her's, placing her hand on my bicep.

"Shay, you've spent all day with me." Ron pointed out. She rolled her eyes at him, standing up and kicking him.

"Gym, nine sharp tomorrow morning." She winking at him before walking out of the room, pulling me with her. As soon as we walked out, she was starting to undress me, slowly undoing the bow tie from around my neck and untucking my shirt.

"Well, I thought we were going to get dinner," I smirked, grabbing ahold of her waist.

"We are. You just look really dressed up." I looked over what she was wearing- just a simple gray t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. I sighed, letting go of her and walking into my room. She followed me in, shutting the door.

"You know, people really don't care around here." I reminded her, starting to unbutton my shirt. She shrugged, going to my closet to find me a shirt. She grabbed one and threw it at me, my tan sweatshirt as well.

"But I do." She said, watching me pull the shirt over my head. She walked over, handing me the sweatshirt before walking to the door. "Come on, ya jacket slut."

We walked hand-in-hand to the cafeteria, sharing in comfortable silence. We got our food before disappearing from the cafeteria again, sneaking into the closed-off bio-dome. We found a cleared spot on the green, grown grass and looked up at the night sky beyond the shatter-resistant glass. It was the closest we could get to our late night star-gazing sessions we would have back home.

"What's on your mind, Bates?" She asked, biting into an apple. I had learned of her affinity for apples after we arrived on Prox and I watched her devour six in one day.

The produce was the main reason the bio-dome was so important to the Messengers. They had large gardens on all five levels, growing countless types of foods, trees, and flowers. It also had become where Shay and I hid from people.

People held me in high regard because of Thomson's legacy while Shaylee had her own. Everybody knew of Captain Diaz, the only person to ever break Carnivore programming. Everybody knew our names and parts of our stories. Shaylee had only told a couple of people her full story. Those people were Aston and the team. But everyone acted like they knew until they tried to get close to her and she shut down into ice mode. She had started to do that to a lot of fake people who tried to get close to me.

"Just thinking about the changes from Alexi to here. Do you ever miss it?"

"What? Having to live in constant fear of being set back into Carnivore mode every time I had to go to the FEC? Can't say I do, Bates." She laid down beside me, still eating her apple.

"I guess you never really did have a normal life." I sighed, laying down as well.

"Guess not." She finished off her apple and put the core down, lacing our fingers together. "I guess this is normal life to me. I've never truly known anything beyond the FEC and The Messengers and Carnivores. I didn't get the idealistic parents to watch after me, fill my head with hope. Instead, I had my emotions, my fears, everything ripped from me. Now here I am."

"Do you have fears now?" I moved my gaze from the sky to her.

"Yes," she answered. "I fear losing you, Ron, Brock, Adam, Siobhan. I fear losing my family."

Fear. Drive. Shaylee's motivation. Fear of losing me.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS ISN'T EVEN ON WATTPAD YET BUT STILL GO CHECK ME OUT THERE @THERUTABAGA


	3. Frequency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old Captain comes back to The Messengers. They never said he was smart. After all, he did feed information to the brain of a Carnivore.

"Again!" Shaylee's command echoed through the small, closed off gym. She stood ready, sweat rolling down her face. I groaned from my place against the wall, my back sticking to the wall after my shirt had been taken off long ago. I know Shay cringed almost every time she looked at my hip, seeing that large scar that nearly claimed my life.

My fear of Carnivores had been all but eradicated when I wound up face to face with one. I still remember the cold gray of their eyes as their claws dug into my side, ripping the flesh. Thankfully, Ron shot it and they got me out before anything worse could happen.

"Bates! Again!" Her voice yanked me from the thought, shocking me back into reality. I ran at her, but she ducked, tripping me and sending me to the surface of the mat.

"Shay... " I moaned, rolling over onto my back. She sighed, grabbing our waters and tossing mine at me. "Thanks," I said, popping the lid and gulping the water.

"Don't drink so quick. You'll puke next time I send you flying." She took quick drinks of her water, wiping the sweat off of her forehead in between.

"Oh! Bates is taking lessons!" I looked up to see Adam and Ron standing in the doorway, watching us. "I remember those days. Don't worry, Dustin. You eventually learn how to stay on the ground!" Adam laughed, Ron shaking his head.

"No, you don't. You get lucky a few times and pray that the luck stays," Ron corrected, looking over at us. "At least I don't have nipple rings for her to grab." He smirked over at Adam.

"Wait, you have your nipples pierced?" I questioned, sitting up next to Shay. The room started to spin, so on instinct I just put my arm around Shay for stability.

"Yes, and I love it." Adam pulled up his black shirt to show me the rings that looped through the tender flesh. I cringed.

"How?"

"A lot of liquor," was the response I got as Shay pulled me off the floor. I groaned, trying to stay on the ground, but she was plenty strong enough to lift me off the ground. "Ron, go around with Dustin. I'm feeling kinda strange." Shaylee went over and sat back down on the end of the mat, watching as Ron took off his jacket and approached me, getting ready. Adam went over and sat next to her.

Ron and I quickly finished the match. When we looked back over, we saw Shay curled up on the mat, clutching her head.

"Shaylee!" Ron yelled, running over and scooping her up. "Shay, Shay, focus on me, come on." She shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"My head... It feels like someone is trying to pry it open," she managed to choke out, tears spilling down her cheeks. Ron held her closer. "It hurts so much," she cried, gritting her teeth.

"Shit, we need to get her somewhere else. I don't know what to do," Ron said, standing with her in his arms. We ran her to the infirmary, hoping someone there could help her. The most they did was give her a sedative. I sat down on the one chair next to the bed, Adam sitting in the other, and Ron beside her on the bed.

"What happened?" I wondered out loud. Adam shook his head.

"I was focused on you guys. So, I don't know what happened. I noticed when you guys did," Adam responded, sighing. We all sat in silence, waiting. Adam left eventually, Ron taking his vacant seat. We continued to sit quietly. I was nervous, but Ron looked like he was about to be sick. 

"Are you alright? You don't look too good." I pointed out to him, looking over at him. He shook his head.

"I have known Shay for years. She has never even had allergies. But here she is, splitting headache. She has never gotten sick, had a headache before. This isn't right." He pulled his legs up to rest on the rail of the bed. I sat thinking about it, thoughts ticking. There was something wrong- Ron was right about that.   
  
  


Hours later, Ron had fallen asleep in his chair, and I had wound up curled up against Shay's sleeping body. I kissed the top of her head lightly, closing my eyes and stroking her hair lightly, listening to her breathe.

"What do you mean you have a Carnivore in the compound?!" I heard somebody outside the door yell. It woke me out of my half slumber. I slowly sat up, looking around. I got off the bed, grabbing my jacket off the chair and pulling it over my shoulders. I had put a short-sleeved shirt on before we took Shay to the infirmary, but I was still exposed without my jacket. I slowly slid open the door to look out. A tall, dark-haired man stood in the hallway, his back to me.

"She is controlled and not dangerous. Lady was the one who deprogrammed her." Aston was arguing with the man. They were arguing about Shay.

"I don't care. It probably doesn't matter. That frequency we sent out to this sector probably killed it." Shay's headache.

"No," I spoke up, walking out. The man spun around. He had intense gray-green eyes that stared me down. "She is still alive. They sedated her to make sure that it couldn't kill her, whatever it was." He seemed vaguely familiar.

"You all made sure The Carnivore lived?" He growled. His voice was lighter than mine, a higher tone to it, but he was obviously older than me, a bit of gray in his light beard.

"Absolutely." I contested, standing taller and stepping closer. He scoffed, standing up to me as well.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulling it up. I put my hands on his wrists, squeezing.

"I've been here. And where have you been..." I had no idea who this man was or who he thought he was.

"Captain Benjamin Burnley."

"Well, Captain Burnley, leave Captain Diaz alone. You haven't even met her."

"It has a name?!" He laughed. "It's a killing machine, not a pet! It's far less than a pet! It doesn't even have emotions!"

"And who the fuck are you to say that I don't have emotions? Cause I'm really feeling that first one I ever felt come back. It's anger." Shaylee stood behind me, growling at him and moving closer. She gently pulled me away from him, pushing me behind her. I knew better than to fight to try to protect her. I stood behind her, watching.

"Carnivore..." he growled back, moving towards her. She was almost half a foot shorter than him, but she still stood up to him.

"Former. I was the first Carnivore. They fucked up. Here I am today. Deprogrammed, and fighting against the FEC. A little warning next time, Burnley." Using his name seemed to scare him. "Yeah, Benjamin Burnley, Messenger code 6604. Team members are..." She named off several more things, causing the taller man's jaw to drop.

"How did you know all of that, beast?" He grabbed her by her throat, slamming her against the wall.

"No!" I yelled, trying to force him off of her. He pushed me back roughly, sending me back against the floor, hitting the wall roughly. Shaylee growled, shoving him back herself. She moved to me, kneeling beside me and gently touching my cheek.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft as she spoke to me, but after I confirmed that I was alright, she stood over Burnley, putting her foot on his chest. "Believe me this, I'm human. Genetically modified to be more than human. I've seen meaningless death and I decided to stop it. It seems that I'm more human than you. And smarter. You tried to fry my brain by feeding it information about your team. You're very very lucky that I am the only Carnivore in the sector." She pressed down harder, causing him to squirm.

"You admit that you are a Carnivore! How are you not dead?" He screamed, trying to push her foot off his chest.

"Because she has been a valuable asset who has proved herself worthy time and time again," Aston spoke, walking over and gently putting a hand on her shoulder. She moved off of Burnley and back over to me, pulling me off the ground. She put her arm around my waist, keeping me close to her. I put my arm around her shoulders, staying upright.

"Are you sure you're okay? Because after this guy's show of stupidity, I have no problem hurting him more if he's hurt you." She said softly, ignoring Aston as he attempted to convince Burnley that she was safe to stay with The Messengers.

"I'm alright, Shay. Don't worry. I'm more worried about you. Does your head feel better?" I gently put my hand on her cheek.

"You've got to be kidding me! The idiot thinks she can love people!" Burnley was gesturing to us now, his face red from yelling. She sighed, looking up.

"Why do people keep thinking that I am incapable of love? You'd think by this point that I would have proven that wrong by now." I wasn't sure who she was speaking to, but she didn't even look at me. She sighed once more before looking back at me.

"You're a Carnivore! You can't love!" He yelled again, trying to get closer to her to grab her. I quickly moved, pushing her behind me.

"Dustin!" She fussed, trying to move me so she could protect me.

"Look at her reaction," I told him, staring him down. "Look at how she fights me when I try to protect her. Why? Even better," I looked over to Aston. "Can we pull up the video from when the Carnivore got me? Even photos of the aftermath would prove my point." Shaylee stopped fighting me.

"Dustin, please no," she begged, trying to move in front of me to look at me, but my arm kept her locked behind me. "I can't go through that again. I could have lost you and then I would have gone full Carnivore. I can't lose you." She stopped fighting me with those last four words, her fingers lightly touching my back.

The look on Burnley's face changed. It was more calm, almost sad.

"So it does feel," he whispered, but it wasn't to himself. He was trying to keep himself from crying. He had lost somebody. He turned and left, walking past Aston without a word. I turned to Shay after he was so far down the hall, grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug. She held onto me just as tight if not tighter.

"I wouldn't make you go through that again. Never, never again. You won't lose me, baby. I'm right here." I closed my eyes, letting my fingers thread through her thick black hair, still holding her close. She didn't say anything back, she just continued to cling to me, her fingers bunching the fabric of my jacket in the back. "I love you, Shaylee." She pulled away from me enough to place her lips on mine, one hand going to the side of my face. After a few moments, we both pulled away.

"Let's go. I don't want to be here anymore." She rested her forehead against mine, her eyes trained on my chest. I nodded slowly.

"That sounds good. It's been too much of a day."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan Kampfe's Instagram is my favorite thing atm since everybody else's is gone. Except for Adam. Adam doesn't like to be cryptic. He likes to block people.


	4. Die For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission goes very wrong. Things are said and they can't be taken back. By the end, nothing will ever be the same again.

My bedroom. Rarely used. I found myself in Shay's room typically. My room didn't even feel like mine. It had very little of me in it. It wasn't like I didn't have an identity outside of Shaylee. I just hadn't spent much time in my room after the first two months of being with The Messengers. At that point, I spent almost every night with her. She was terrified of waking up one morning and me being gone. I guess that's what happens after watching the person you love the most nearly die.

"Dr. Bates, could you please report to the Control room?" My comlink went off, yanking me out of the memory of her eyes filled with tears as she leaned over me. I sighed, pressing the button on the device in my ear.

"Yes. I will be there in a few moments." I let go of it, the beep showing that the conversation with the Communications Man was over. I walked out of my room, taking the box of stuff over to Shay's room and grabbing my jacket off our bed. We had finally decided just to share a room to make life easier and to free up another room in the hallway.

I pulled my jacket over my white dress shirt and bowtie, zipping it up to cover them. I put my hands into the pockets of them and walked out, shutting the door behind me before making my way to the heart of the base. I walked into the bustling room, the chatter of people nearly deafening. I looked over to the glass room in the corner of the room where my family sat waiting.

Shay and Ron were sitting across from each other, flicking a folded triangle of paper at each other. Adam sat reclined back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling while Brock chattered to him about something he probably didn't care about. Aston sat at the head of the table, a page of open on Swipetech that he sat critiquing. It was probably the newest mission he had for the team. I walked in, not bothering to knock.

"Oh! Dustin! How nice of you to show up." Aston looked up from his work, smiling curtly. I was apparently late. I leaned down to kiss Shay's cheek as I walked by her to sit in the open chair at the other end of the table from Aston. She smiled over at me, winking. I smiled back, shaking my head at her gesture. "Now, if you two would stop flirting, I'd like to get to the issue at hand." We all focused our attention on Aston.

"Now, one of our Allies, the Adens, have come under attack, currently under FEC rule. We need you all to go help our branch of Messengers, just to bring them back or destroy the compound. Whichever happens first." He instructed, leaning over the table.

He swiped what he had been working on up to the screen in the middle and to our swipetech watches so we would have the blueprints. We all listened intently to his guidance before we walked back to our rooms to get ready.

Once securely inside our room, I let out a sigh.

"What?" Shay didn't look back at me as she got out her armor.

"Nothing. Just not excited about this. I understand that it's our job, but it's an FEC infested planet, and we're going to blow up a Messenger base there, and maybe potentially saving a couple of Messengers." I went and grabbed my armor from the box I had brought over.

"I understand. I don't really want to do this. I'd be content in continuing your flying lessons for the rest of the day." She sighed, pulling her top off.

"Well, that's one step closer to cuddling, so I'd take it." I took off my jacket and my dress shirt, leaving my undershirt on.

"Oh, so cuddling is the term. Ron and I were arguing about what it was called the other day." She slipped on her white, long sleeves top, sliding her pants off next. "I explained it and he said sex first, but I contested that I knew what that was, but this one, clothing is optional because we've done it with and without clothes." I froze, turning bright red.

"Shay, you didn't say that," I begged, only one leg out of my jeans.

"What? Is cuddling like a hush-hush thing? I didn't realize it was that intimate a thing." She turned to me, confusion in her beautiful blue eyes.

"No, no, not cuddling. But cuddling after sex is and sex is the most intimate you can get with a person!" I fussed, standing up.

"No, that's not the most intimate. Trusting you completely is the most for me. Trusting you enough to give myself to you was the biggest step I could take to you. After everything I have been through, trusting you enough to share a room with, trusting you enough for me to soundly sleep next to you, even take a shower without the door locked, every time I change in front of you, and every time I close my eyes for longer than a second when you're behind me, that is the most I can give you. Intimacy with you didn't start when we had sex for the first time. It started when I learned that I could trust you." I was in tears by the end of her speech. She didn't seem to have noticed until this moment. "Why are you crying? Is sex that important and I just don't know it?" She panicked.

"No, you silly girl, it's not. It's barely apart of it compared to everything you just said." I wiped away the tears in my cheeks. "Come here," I said, putting my hands on her cheeks and pulling her face to mine. I slowly kissed her, her lips moving against mine. She placed her hands on my waist, holding onto me as I let my one hand slide down her neck and body to wrap around her waist.

We were interrupted by a bang on the door.

"Stop fucking and hurry up!" Adam yelled from the other side, banging on the door. Shay grabbed a shoe and walked over to the door, chucking it in his face before shutting the door again. 

 

When we arrived in the atmosphere of Aden a few hours later, preparing ourselves to go camouflage for the remainder of the trip. I walked over to Shay, who stood looking over the small geography below us, her eyes thought-filled.

"Everything okay?" I asked, leaning against the window beside her. She nodded, her gaze not shifting from the ground to me. "Really, Diaz?"

"Really, Bates. Just a few nerves. After all, this isn't really what I signed up for," she admitted, her eyes closing before reopening to focus on my face. I moved forward, gently cupping her cheek with my hand.

"None of this is. But here we are. We can get through it. We always do. " She nodded, sighing in agreement. I smiled at her before leaning down to press my lips to hers. She put her hand against my chest while her other arm rested across my shoulders.

"Dropzone approaching. Everybody be ready." Siobhan alerted us from her place at the helm of the ship. I had learned that she rarely engaged in combat, flight being her specialty.

We slowly pulled away, our foreheads resting against one another's. The kids felt so unfinished and interrupted. I couldn't shake the feeling of Shay's kiss; it had felt almost remorseful.

"Let's go, handsome." She let her hands run down my chest to where my hands were on her waist, gently holding them. She smiled at me one last time before she kissed my cheek and turned away.

As soon as we hit the ground, the overwhelming stench of death plagued the area. Remains of humanoids laid around- the Adens. Many of their bodies were torn to bits, body parts missing, bones broken in half, throats ripped out, and blood everywhere.

"Disgusting," Shaylee growled, Ron gushing her right after.

"Diaz! Don't let every Carnivore in the area know that another one of you is here!" He fussed quietly, arms flailing around in a careful avoidance of the heavy amount of weapons hooked to him.

"I did no such thing," Shay mumbled, walking around. "Bates, where is the base?" I fumbled with the tracker for a second, struggling to read the coordinates.

"Uh, two clicks southeast. We should be there soon." I turned to lead the way, Shay standing to my right to protect me.

We made it there in a matter of minutes, kept up by Shay's fast pace. She motioned for us to follow behind her, me in the center of the line, Ron bringing up the rear of the party.

"Gilbert, scout for the control room. Richards and Bates, survivors. DeChant, you and I are on Carnivore watch, and we will set the explosives. We have to burn this bitch to kingdom high, and then get out of the sector before the Carnivores know what happened. Keep radio silence unless necessary. Messengers may be secure, but we don't always know what we're up against." She commanded, looking at each of us.

"Yes, ma'am," the guys nodded before breaking off, Brock pulling me behind him. We didn't speak, only checked pulses on stuff corpses. They had been dead for hours, if not days.

"Brock, something doesn't seem right," I pointed out.

"No shit, Dustin. " Despite everything, we kept going, eventually along our way to the Control Room to meet up with everyone.

"Any survivors?" Shay asked, working on a computer.

"Nothing but corpses." Brock sighed, standing next to her to look at the computer. He gently pushed her hands away, taking over instead.

Brock was brilliant with computers, coming up with all kinds of software against the FEC. He had even done so on Alexi, but was never caught.

"Guys, everything is already gone. We came here for nothing other than to destroy hard copies." He sighed, hitting the computer forcefully, causing the screen to crack. Shay nodded.

"Team, head out." Shay's voice was quiet, almost scared. We nodded, following behind her as she turned. She took off her helmet, letting it fall to the ground. There she left it, continuing to walk on.

We were almost out of the building when we heard laughter. It resembled nails on a chalkboard- high pitched and ear-splitting. Carnivores. But the chorus of high pitches was contrasted by a man's low chuckled.

"Babygirl, welcome home." It sang, sick and twisted, but heavy and smooth.

"Father," Shaylee growled. "Of fucking course."

"Now, dear, do you want to alert your siblings to where you and your team are? Do you have that boy toy you keep with you? What was his name? Justin? Bustin?" He knew about me. I suppose from my file on Alexi and having seen me board the ship with her last time.

"Dustin." She whispered, reaching over to take my hand.

"Yes, that's it." He stepped out from the shadows in front of us. "Dustin Bates, the Engineer." He smiled at me. "Hello. I'm Commander Diaz. But you can call me Dad. Since we've now met? Care to meet Shaylee's brothers and sisters? They're real dolls."

Carnivores stepped out from the shadows as Commander Diaz did, crawling towards us, growling and groaning as they slowly pulled their ways towards us, their long, black robes hiding everything about their appearance. But then, those eyes, they were the only things could see.

"Shaylee! Why do you not embrace your brethren like you have these outsiders?" He motioned towards the other three, who were now being held back by Carnivores. She stood her ground, not even blinking.

"I can do this on my own." She growled, starting to walk towards him. Carnivores jumped on her, trying to hold her back from the commander. She shrugged them off like minor inconveniences.

"If I can't hurt you physically, then I'll hurt you where it could kill you." He growled back, mentioning to me, where Carnivores came up and pushed me to my knees on the ground. " how about I kill him like you killed many of them last time you visited? Rip his throat out? Or have them snap his bones in two and suck out the marrow so he still lives to suffer? Or-"

"What do you really want? Because I doubt it's vengeance. You wouldn't let your emotions get the better of you. You taught me that lesson. Don't let your emotions run the show." She moved away from me, standing now three feet away from the man that both created her and turned her into the monster she couldn't escape.

"You. You're too powerful. Still my most prized creation. The first Carnivore. The strongest of the litter. The strongest one alive." He said, moving closer so he could touch her, gently putting his hand against her face, touching the black hair that frames her face. "You have to die. You're too powerful to control. Far too powerful."

"If that's it, so be it. But you let all of them go." She sighed, not looking back at us. I heard Ron gasp.

"No! Shaylee! No! You can't do it! I won't let you! No! " he screamed, fighting the Carnivores holding him back. She turned to look back at him.

"Ron, I have no other choice." She had tears starting to well up in her eyes. She turned her back to us again.

"You have my word. They will be safely allowed off the planet." She nodded, taking a drop breath and kneeling down.

"Shaylee! Stop it! Stop! You cant! I can't lead this team and I can't do it without you! Shay! I can't live without you! Shaylee!" Ron continued to beg her to stop, to fight back. More Carnivores moved to hold him back as he tried to fight his way out.

A Carnivore moved behind her, taking a hold of her head.

"Daddy, please, look at me when you command them to do this. Dead in the eyes." Her voice was quiet, loud enough that it reached me, but was the drowned out by Ron's screams.

"Shay! Please! I didn't get to tell yo u! I was stupid! I should have told you long ago! Shay! Please!"

The rest of us were frozen. I knew I couldn't stop her. I knew that she had made up her mind and there was no changing it.

"Shaylee!" He screamed one last time, his voice breaking. "Shaylee Diaz, I love you." The snap of her neck was the only sound you could hear after those words. Ron didn't speak, and all of us were too stunned to even cry.

The one we all saw as invincible was dead. Absolutely dead. No coming back dead.

"Shaylee..." Her name fell from my mind to my lips, tumbling out before I could stop them.

"Kill the rest. We have no need for them, and we don't want them running back to The Messengers." I didn't care. I closed my eyes and leaned myself back into the Carnivores, tears starting to fall down my face.

Snap.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


I jolted awake, gasping for air. I looked around, Thomas helping me sit up and breathe.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Dustin. You're safe. You're with us. Everybody is here. Everybody is alive." I loo led around the room, my vision blurred from my missing glasses, but I could see my teammates.

Brock beside me, Adam beside him. Shay across from me, and Ron beside her. She and Ron faces opposite ways, not looking at anyone. Ron's confession. What went wrong?

"Well, Doctor Bates. Your telepathic system needs improvement. Especially for a Failsafe exercise like this. It seems you all forgot it was just an exercise." Aston moved to stand at the end of the bed I was on.

That's right. The exercise. It was a test to see if my telepathic communications could succeed in linking people with a common thing, then if it could be monitored from the outside. We all went in knowing we were going to die, but then we just forgot. We got too invested in our own story and we faced the consequences. Relationships were broken. Secrets were exposed. Insecurities were shown. Fears were realized. Everyone in the room saw it. Nothing could ever be the same.

"So, do you know see why Doctor Wise wants us to work together?" Burnley stood in the corner of the room, watching the whole thing.

"Yes." Shay's voice was quiet and horse, as if she didn't have a voice anymore.

"Then it's settled. I want a front row seat to what happens next." With that Burnley walked out of the room. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. There was nothing anyone could say. Too much had been said and it couldn't be taken back.

" You guys know I love you all, right? " Shaylee broke the silence. "There's nothing I wouldn't do... Even if I die..."

"Shaylee, stop talking," Ron commanded, getting up and just walking out of the room. Shaylee pulled her legs up to her chest. She rested her head against her knees as sobs racked her body. Out of all of us, I knew she would be the most broken by what had happened. It was all my fault.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU THINK THIS IS BAD JUST WAIT UNTIL THE LAST CHAPTER I WROTE THAT BEFORE I FINISHED THE OTHER BOOK I JUST REALLY KNEW WHAT I WANTED TO DO AND I'M PROUD OF MYSELF.


	5. Ricochet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension between Ron, Dustin, and Shay grows, creating divides in the team. Dustin loses his cool.

The first part of the simulation wound up becoming a reality. I moved into Shay's room, both of us now having seen the other almost die was yanking us closer and closer. That was among other things. It was also in an attempt to add an extra empty room to our hallway so Captain Burnley's team could move into the same hallway. Shaylee was not happy about that.

Truly, she wasn't happy. She was losing half of her control over the team, her best friend had confessed that he loved her, and now he won't even look at her. Brock could feel the tension, so he stayed away from the team and around Siobhan and the computers. Adam had ditched us to help out with the vehicles. Shay tended to stay in the gym until late, giving into another Carnivore trait of the lack of sleep.

I moved the last box into our room, setting it on the couch in the corner of the room. I started putting stuff in the closet on that side. It would have the one while she would have the other. It helped that half my clothes were already in there. I heard a knock on the door.

"It's open!" I called, not bothering to get it myself. The door opened and Ron slowly walked in.

"Hey, Dustin," he greeted me, leaning against the wall after he walked in.

"Hey," I mumbled, continuing with my task.

"Look, I want to talk to you before I talked to Shay, and I just wanted-" I couldn't listen to it.

"I don't care, Ron. You said what you said, but don't think for a second that I'm going to give her up." I was facing him now, staring him down.

"I know," he sighed. "You make her happy and I wouldn't dare take that from her. Yeah, she could be happy with me. But you, she loves you more than anything. I couldn't live with myself if I was the reason she lost trust in you." I sighed, ruffling my hair. 

"What's done is done. You can't change what you said. We all know. You've broken something in the team." I pushed past him and walked out of the room, trying to get to my lab. 

"Dustin! Please! I am so sorry! I just said it, I had to say it." He groaned, running after me. "Dustin! Have you ever held something in for so long that you felt like you were going to burst? I had to say it. I thought she was going to die, and I had to or else I would have died, too." I continued to ignore him. We walked past the gym that Shay frequented on the way to my lab. I peeked in to see Shay sparing with someone. I stopped, walking in quietly. 

"Ron, shut up." I hushed him, trying to focus on who Shay was fighting. They were taller than me with dark hair, shouting things over her as they went back and forth. Burnley. 

"Higher, Diaz! If you're so powerful as a Carnivore, then show me!" Shay growled at him, flipping up and wrapping her legs around his neck, using her body weight and momentum to fling him forward to the floor, moving on top of him quickly. 

"You're done, Burnley." Her eyes for a second flashed silver as she pinned him. 

"Shaylee!" I yelled, running and hugging her tightly, pulling her off of him. 

"What?" She asked, touching my chest gently. Her eyes were back to their sapphire hue as she stared up at me. 

"I just, I could have," I swallowed hard, "I could have sworn your eyes just went silver." I clutched her tightly, ignoring the sweat that covered her body. Burnley rose from the mat. 

"This is why you can't be the team leader," he said, walking over to us, staring her down. She stared up at him. 

"Because my boyfriend has a fear of me turning full Carnivore again and he is seeing things?" She tried to pull away from me, but I kept a hold on her. 

"No. Because you can't control it." He moved to stand over her. She shook her head. 

"I'm in control. You haven't been here." She put her hand on my arm as if to tell me that it was okay. I slowly let go, my fingers trailing her bare waist. 

"Prove you're in control. Talk to Ron like an adult. Don't like a child," he said, crossing his arms. The two people with the most intense eyes I've ever seen stared at each other, blue meeting a gray-green, both framed by the darkest hair, and fueled by similar fires. 

"Fine." She turned away, walking towards Ron. She gently touched his shoulder, leading him out of the doorway. 

"Well, that's that," Burnley sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know, Shay is a nice girl. Angry and a little mean, but talented." He grabbed his bottle of water off the bench, taking a long drink. 

"So, you don't hate the distrusted Carnivore?" I asked, leaning against the wall. He shook his head, closing the lid on the bottle. 

"No. I've seen that she is human. I've been through her greatest fear, and I understand. If I had been more fearful of losing my wife, then maybe I would have protected her better. Maybe then she would still be here. I made a mistake, and I don't want to see Shay make the same mistakes that I did," he explained, standing back up. I was stunned. I was convinced he actually hated her. 

"So, then she's going to be leading the team?" I asked, hopeful. He shook his head. 

"Aston already said that we'll be leading it together, neither with more power than the other." He smiled, showing his teeth. "Course, she doesn't know that yet." I was truly shocked. 

"Wow. That's great." I grinned, shaking my head. "Burnley, I'm impressed." 

"Call me Ben." 

"Okay, Ben." A moment later, Shay walked back into the room, walking to stand in front of me before literally just leaning all of her weight on me, her head on my chest. "Are you alright?" I asked her, wrapping my arms around her and placing a kiss on the top of her head. She nodded, continuing to pretty much lay on me. 

"We're all good. Sort of," she left off. I raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. 

"Sort of?" 

"Sort of. We talked, I thought we were finished, and then he kissed me and walked off." I froze, as did Ben. 

"He what?" I growled, trying to move her off of me, but she held tighter. 

"Calm down, boy." She put more of her weight on me. It became apparent that she had figured I would act like this. "If you want to take your anger out, spar with Ben. He'll be less of a challenge than I would be, and you'd be more inclined to hit him hard." I sighed. 

"Okay," I said, letting her move off of me. I stripped myself of my sweatshirt and t-shirt, throwing them at the bench. I had been in shorts all morning since I was just moving boxes and nobody gives a shit, and I didn't want to wear my glasses, so I was set to go. 

Ben met me in the middle of the mat, stretching out his long limbs. With a call from Shay, I ran at Ben, faking high and going low, setting him off balance. I don't remember what happened next, but the next thing I remembered, Shay was pulling me back, holding me tightly and she anchored me to the floor, cradling my head against her as tears of anger streamed down my face. 

"Shh, Dustin. It's okay. It's okay, calm down. Everything is okay. You're safe. I've got you." Her voice was soft and gentle, her touch even gentler. She kept her arm tightly around my shoulders, letting her fingers run down my arm and side, her other hand keeping my head close to her chest and neck. "Ben, are you alright?" She asked, her head moving to look up at him. I looked up out of the corner of my eye. 

Ben was holding himself up with one arm, using his hand to wipe the blood from under his nose. He looked exhausted, his chest heaving. I felt sick, having known that I did that to him. He nodded to Shay, confirming that he was okay. Shay continued to hold me until I calm down enough. 

"Dustin, are you alright?" She kissed the top of my head, her hand running through my hair gently. I nodded, gripping her hip tightly. She sighed, running her hand down my head to my chin. She tilted my head up to meet her eyes. "C' mon. Let's go lay down." 

I shook the entire time we made our way back to our room. Shay moved the boxes off of the bed and let me lay down before laying down next to me. She continued to hold me tightly, placing kisses on my face where and when she saw fit. 

"It's okay, baby. I've got you," she assured me. Eventually, I fell asleep, feeling less human than Shay ever had been. I was the monster. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, this is fun


	6. Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shay and Dustin are sent off-world as a way to calm down and get away from the stress of Prox.

Dustin and Shay going off-world for a few days, hiding out from everything.

"You know to radio the second anything happens. We have several Messenger ships in the sector that can be there quickly."

"Yes, Aston. I'm aware." Shay knelt down on the floor, double checking that she had everything that she needed in her last bag.

After my episode, Aston decided it best to send us on a visit to a Messenger base on Runibor as representatives of the main chapter. It was a peaceful woods filled planet, with one of the most beautiful views of the sky. He figured it would be a pleasant change for both of us to come back to our normal selves.

"Just making sure," he surrendered, turning to me. "Dustin, do you have everything you need to teach the Engineers of Runibor?"

To give us something to do while on our little excursion, he had made plans with the commander of the base to have me lead a class for their Engineers, and Shay to review their commander, training, protocol, and leadership.

"Yes, I think that I do." I smiled at him, moving my last bag onto the jump ship that we were taking. He nodded.

"Good. Is the other one ready?" The third to our party burst into the hanger, carrying four bags, not counting his backpack that hung halfway off his shoulder by one strap. "Ah, Thomas. How nice of you to join us." The nineteen-year-old stopped in front of us, relaxing a moment, bags falling all around him as he breathed heavily. Aston had thought it wise for him to join Shaylee and me on the trip for him to learn with the other Engineers.

"Yeah, just, give me a second and we can go." He put his hands on his knees, continuing to heave.

"You know, Thomas, maybe you should join me this week and we can get you into better shape," Shay suggested, grabbing all four bags that he had let fall and carrying them with ease onto the ship. Thomas laughed.

"But Captain Diaz, I'm in my prime!"

"That's what Dustin said until the Team and eventually myself started whipping his ass into shape." She smiled back at him as she walked back out, standing next to me.

"We'll see, we'll see." Thomas shook his head, acting like a child. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head and throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's get to Runibor."

"Captain Diaz, Doctor Bates, welcome to Runibor. I hope the flight was not too horrendous." The leader of the base walked to greet us, smirking in a friendly manner. She was around the same height as Shaylee, blonde with striking blue eyes that contrasted her pale complexion.

"Commander Momsen," Shay moved to shake the woman's hand, keeping a firm grip, "good to see you still alive," Shay smirked back at the younger woman.

"Well, I may not be invincible, but I'm strong enough to hold my own." The girl stepped back, not noticing Shay's wavering in emotion at the mention of her being invincible. The simulation was coming back to the forefront of her mind- a reminder that she isn't invincible. "Doctor Bates, it's nice to meet you." She looked me up and down as she shook my hand.

"Likewise, Commander." I let go, stepping back towards Thomas, but she took a small step closer.

"Wow, Doctor. When I heard that you were coming to help with our department of Engineers, I expected you to be older. It's refreshing to see that I was wrong." Her voice had almost a low purr to it. I felt incredibly uncomfortable. "And this must be Mr. Bell." She shook his hand before turning back to face forward. "I'll take you all inside. Somebody will be out to collect your bags and place them in the suite." She started walking, facing forward. We followed. I caught up to Shaylee, slipping my fingers in between her's to keep her close to me.

"So, Momsen, when did you become Commander? Last I saw you, you were a Captain still." Shay looked around the compound as she spoke.

"About a year ago. Last time we saw each other was about a year and a half ago, right? You had just lost Thomson." Shay swallowed hard, squeezing my hand lightly.

"Yeah, we still didn't have an Engineer to keep us in check, so it was easier to avoid going back to Alexi. Then, Bates joined us, so it was harder. Sorry."

"It's alright. Doctor Bates, have you enjoyed your time with the team and The Messengers?" She turned to look back at me. I nodded.

"Yeah, I really have." I smiled over at Shay. I saw Momsen's eyes widen out of the corner of my eye. She gasped.

"Wait, Diaz has a heart?" She exclaimed, laughing. Shay squeezed my hand again. She had started doing this when she was annoyed, nervous, or just feeling any overwhelming emotion in general. "How about that? Here I've thought that I've had to make up for the both of us!" She continued, moving to put her arm around Shay's shoulders. Shay forced a smile.

"Yeah. It's funny. About eight months ago, we proved that Shaylee Diaz has a heart." I stepped in, almost pulling Shay to stand behind me. The Commander crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"A little territorial, aren't we, Doctor?" She smirked up at me, not breaking eye contact. I didn't waver either.

"More than a little."

"Okay! I'm interested in seeing where the bathroom is! I've had to pee since the jump!" Thomas broke our intense staring contest, ripping both of our attention to where he stood, looking a little concerned. "And I really gotta go."

"I swear," Shay sighed, grabbing his arm and mine. "Thomas, you're like the little brother I never had and never wanted." She began pulling us down the hallway. "Guest suite, right? The one with two rooms or three?" She called back to Momsen, not turning around.

"Two! Meet you in my office at twenty hundred hours. Get rested up. We're making plans for your time here." With that, I heard the Commander's heeled boots walk off. We quickly made our way to a door, which Shay opened and pulled us into. It was a large living room area, with a couple of desks in the corner of the rooms. There were three doors on the back wall. Two clearly leading to bedrooms, with one being a bathroom.

"Middle door. Go." Thomas ran to the door, opening it and closing himself in. Shay rolled her eyes, sighing before collapsing onto the couch. I walked over and laid literally on top of her, my head resting against her shoulder. She laughed lightly, letting her fingers trail up the back of my head to thread through my dark, recently cut hair.

"Stressed?" I asked, kissing the side of her neck gently. She simply nodded, closing her eyes and pressing her lips to my forehead, staying in that position for several moments. "How do you know the Commander?" She pulled away from me, opening her eyes to look down at me.

"Taylor Momsen and I met when we were really young. She and I have very similar backgrounds, our parents being pieces of shit. She just kinda took a different route. As where I stayed on Alexi, she faked her death with her team and became a full Messenger as where I was counterproductive on Alexi.

"She was one of my best friends growing up. Her father was also a Senator, but lower ranking than my father, and not as crazy. He was even as where my father can go to extremes. When I disappeared, Taylor got into drugs, alcohol. It nearly killed me after I came back to see her in that state. That's when I felt my second round of emotion- sadness and heartbreak. She was hurting.

"I convinced her to join me in the Academy. She stood by me somewhat, but she was still so wrapped up in drugs and alcohol that I didn't know how to help her. So, I just watched. She knew something was different about me from our childhood, but she didn't know until after The Messengers recruited us both.

"She went into a position the Messengers as where I followed through into the Astro-fighter program. We met up regularly to catch up. Eventually, she gave up the drugs and I gained more emotional use, but we both still have our faults. Her new addiction is people and power, as where I still lack trust and the full range of humanity, all on top of being a Carnivore. Two broken little Alexian girls. What a story," she huffed, trailing her fingers down my spine as she had been absentmindedly doing the entire time she spoke.

We sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, the only exchanges between us being gentle touches or lazy kisses. It was relaxing. The cramped couch eventually got uncomfortable. I carefully moved off of her, bending down to lift her off the couch. She yelped, throwing her arms around my neck and holding on tightly.

"What?" I laughed, bouncing her just to get a reaction. She yelped again, gripping me tighter. I carried her into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed. I closed the door behind us and laid down on the bed, pulling her on top of me this time. I had just gotten comfortable when there was a knock on the door. I opened one eye as it slowly opened.

"I threw up." It was Thomas. "And, I don't know what to do. I brushed my teeth and stuff, but." He was seriously like the little brother Shay never had. Shay sighed, pushing herself off of me. Go lay down, Thomas. I'll go get you some stuff to help your stomach." I was impressed by how far she had come with Thomas.

Shay had started treating him like her younger brother even. She had taken to him quicker than she had me. I suppose Thomas was highly likable: big brown puppy dog eyes, the curly hair, clumsy demeanor, but the radiation of brilliance.

He listened, walking out of the room. Shay left the room as well, pulling on her shoes that she had discarded during our time on the couch. She left the suite, saying that she'd be back shortly. I stayed laying down, waiting. Eventually, Shay returned, ducking into Thomas' room with crackers, soda, and a bucket. Before I knew it, she was curled up against me again.

"So, I guess one of us is going to have to be in charge of the puppy while we're here." She sighed, resting her forehead against my chest. I smiled, putting my hand on the back of her head as I kissed the top.

"I'll keep an eye on how he's doing during the class," I assured her, trailing my hand down her side. She nodded, closing her eyes. Soon, her breathing evened out, signaling that she was asleep. I followed soon after, hoping we would wake up before meeting with Momsen. 

"Nice of you two to show up."

"We're ten minutes late."

"Ten minutes is ten minutes."

"And ten inches is too much. Your point?"

It was fascinating watching Shaylee going back and forth like this with another woman. I had only seen her interact with the guys, never another female who was close to her.

"Doctor Bates, it's nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Commander Momsen." I shook her hand once more, this time, her eyes did not wander from my face. I smiled, moving to sit in one of the chairs near her desk. Shay sat in the one beside me while Momsen took her seat.

"So, here is how it's going to go down. Bates, you and your puppy dog will be leading a class for our Engineers. Kinda like that seminar thing that happens every year on Alexi." It hit me then and there that I had become like Thomson. I was truly walking her legacy out. "Shay, you and I are just going to be reviewing the people we have stationed here. Evaluate Captains and cadets, and as we do this, you should have enough data needed to evaluate me."

"Good. Means I don't have to be sneakily observing you. I've never been one for subtlety." Shay crossed her leg, leaning back in her chair. Taylor smirked, shaking her head at her old friend.

"Do you still enjoy sitting on desks?" She smirked at Shay, looking up at her as she pulled files out of her one desk drawer. I started to laugh.

"Yes," I answered for her, looking over at her as well. "The first time I ever went to the compound, I walked into my office, and there sat Shay in the center of my desk reading my file and making fun of my middle name."

"It's horrible," Shay told Taylor, changing the subject.

"What is it?" The blonde leaned closer.

"Paul." Taylor looked from Shaylee to me, then back again.

"That's positively horrific. Dustin Paul Bates. Almost unfortunate." She sounded like Ron. I could understand why she eventually wound up gravitating towards Ron.

Half the night later, the three of us had moved to sit in a circle on the floor, going through eh files of nearly everyone stationed on Runibor. We had food laid out around the room: crackers on top of a file, noodles and chicken sitting on one of the chairs, and a good amount of other foods around the room from where we had just left it sitting.

Shay's jacket was discarded over the back of Taylor's chair, just in her tank top. I had stripped myself of my jacket, bowtie, and button down, leaving me in my white t-shirt. Taylor had settled to taking off her jacket as well, leaving on her necklaces. Both girls had pulled their hair up off their necks, Shay's neat ponytail contrasting Taylor's blonde messy hair that she had twisted back and tied with a band, strands falling out left and right before getting swept behind her ear.

"Cadet Alexis Ship. Decent fighter, more of a doctor, though. Can hold a gun, but shit at hand to hand." I sighed, throwing the file into the center. I

"Great. Woohoo. Fantastic." Taylor groaned, rolling from where she had been laying on her side to her back. "This sucks. Can't we just continue this tomorrow?" We were both exhausted. Shaylee, however...

"Are you really that tired? I could keep going." Shay picked up another file, cracking it open.

"Well, you're not human, " Taylor said, rolling the file from her hand and closing it. "Enough. I'm pulling rank. Go the fuck to bed, Shay. Act normal for once in your life."

"Hey!" Shay protested, "I was human until I was like, six!"

"I never said anything about human. You have never been normal, Shaylee Marie Diaz." Shay smiled, pulling herself off the ground. She grabbed her jacket off the chair, running her fingers over the patch with the symbol of The Messengers.

"Haven't been called that in a long while. I almost forgot my middle name. Strange thing, middle names... " She continued to just stare at the patch. She sighed pulling Taylor off the floor, then helping me. We all gathered our things before walking out of the office, shutting off the lights.

"Good night, you two. Shay, so try to sleep. Bates, good fucking luck." Taylor didn't wait for our responses, she was already halfway down the hallway. We turned the opposite direction back to our room.

"I like her," I said, taking Shay's hand.

"Who? Taylor?" I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm learning a lot about you that I didn't know. I didn't even know your middle name. I like hearing about truly human Shaylee." I smiled at her, looking down.

"I see. All you've ever known, all almost everyone has ever known, is just post emotionless Shay. Taylor is one of the few people alive who knew that girl. I wish more people would have gotten the opportunity."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Taylor Momsen, I really do.


	7. Into The Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dustin starts his lessons with the Engineers of Runibor. Shay reviews the command for Runibor. Thomas throws up on the planet of Runibor.

"You're trembling," she whispered, reaching over to take my hand. I laced our fingers together, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. I sighed, resting my head against the wall behind us. "So, you're nervous?"

"What gave it away?" I looked at her, turning my head only slightly to look at her face out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, I understand nervousness. That is one emotion I wish I didn't have." I smiled, squeezing her hand.

"I know. Your nails know. You pick your nails when you're nervous or bored." She hates it when I pointed out the little trait because it was always a reminder that I hated that habit of her's.

"So you've said." She leaned over and kissed my cheek as the elevator bell dinged, letting us know that the door was opening. I gripped her hand tighter, using her to keep me grounded. She pulled me gently into a small nook that hid us from oncoming people. "You are going to do great." Her voice was soft as reassuring. It calmed me down a lot.

"You think so?" I smirked, leaning down a little, our lips brushing.

"I know so. You're Dustin Bates, one of the most notable Engineers of your generation, my Engineer, one of the most amazing men in the galaxy, and the kindest, most genuine person I know. You'll do fine." Her lips were soft as they spoke, touching mine every now and again. I didn't reply to her pep talk. I pressed my lips to hers to fully complete the kiss. It was sweet and warm.

After a few moments, we pulled away from each other, walking away from the private area. I held her hand until we reached the door to the large room where I would be teaching. It felt like my first day of school all over again.

"Do you want me to stay for a little bit?" Shay was looking around the room from our place by the doorway, probably surveying for potential threats.

"No. I'll be alright." I squeezed her hand one last time, smiling at her before walking in. Even though I told her that I would be alright, she stood in the doorway watching me speak for almost an hour before disappearing.

Laughter rang out from the closed door of the suite the three of us from Prox shared. I slowly opened it. Taylor and Shay sat on the floor in front of the couch laughing and talking. If someone didn't know that they were two of the most powerful people in a massive war, they could easily be mistaken for two young best friends laughing over something mundane. That would have been nothing to fear.

However, Shaylee and Taylor were no two ordinary women. Shaylee didn't often laugh like she was and Taylor certainly didn't seem like the type to laugh until she cried. It was terrifying.

"Hey..." I greeted them. They paused for a moment, looking at me before back to each other and laughing more. I turned bright red, nodding at them before retreating to check on Thomas.

It was three days in and he was still throwing up. He had run a low fever, but it didn't go above one hundred.

"Hey, Thomas, how do you feel today?" I sat down on the end of his bed. He shrugged, groaning and rolling into his side. "I'll take that as a still shit. That's nice." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "We go home in two days, so, you can rest there in your own bed." I parted his thigh. "Need anything?"

"More fizzy shit," he whined, holding out his glass. I nodded, leaving the room to go to the cafeteria to get him some more. I passed the girls on the way again, their laughter a little more subdued, but still ringing. I made it almost to the cafe when someone stopped me.

"Doctor Bates!" I turned, smiling. It was a young lady, around Shay's age, with warm brown eyes and long blonde hair. She was one of the Engineers for Runibor, not very athletically inclined, but still fit. She was helpful and kind, always smiling. She seemed to be the opposite of Shay. The Anti-Shay, if you will.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I had a couple questions about your lecture today on Quantum Mechanics and how they could influence future weapons that could work across the multiverse. Do you have time so we could discuss it? If you're not busy, maybe we could have dinner together?" She seemed very nice. I didn't see the harm, and Thomas could wait.

"Of course."

We got our food and sat down. We didn't stay there long, deciding it was too loud. We moved out onto the patio outside the cafe. Wooden picnic tables were spread around, separated from the inside by the glass wall and glass door that led outside. We were secluded from the sound.

"Now that I can actually hear you, what questions did you have?" I leaned forward, my hands folded on the table and my food pushed to the side.

"Well, I wanted your opinion on how they could be used to fight the FEC. It's interesting how you all use mechanical weapons when the FEC uses bio and genetic."

"Yes, well, you can't fight fire with fire." I started. "There is only so much you can do to a human without permanent damage, side effects, or stripping the person of their very soul."

"What's your soul like, Doctor? Do you even have one with being around Diaz do much? The Commander sure did a number on her." She smirked wickedly at me.

"Wait, what?" Before I could call for help, she pulled a syringe out, plunging it into a vein in my neck. Before I even hit the ground, the woman was surrounded by people, weapons pointed at her.

"Josephine! Stay where you are!" I started to black out, whatever she put into my body taking it effects. She was in cuffs and people were surrounding me, shouting orders when my vision fully went out.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


He had been asleep for three days. Thomas whined on end about how he never got his fizzy shit, but Shaylee's cold blue eyes silenced him every time. Two days after Dustin's attack, Thomas stopped puking and the fever broke. It was best because Shay's attention was solely focused on Dustin.

"Any news?" Taylor walked in and took a seat across the bed from Shay, who sat with her head resting on the bed, eyes trained on her boyfriend 's face.

"Nothing... They still don't even know what she put into him." Taylor sighed at this distressing news. She knew how Shay didn't get easily attached to people. Even as a child, Shay shied away from people. She knew that Shay was dying inside.

"He will be okay, Shaylee. He will go back to Prox with you he will go and be with you. Alive. I promise." Shaylee's eyes searched her best friend's similar ones.

"Okay, Taylor. I trust you."   
  
  
  


I jolted upright, my lungs screaming for oxygen. I looked around frantically, searching for anything of familiarity.

"Shaylee!" I called, breathless. "Shay!" Several people in white lab coats rushed in. They fought to get me to lay back, trying to put a sedative in the IV in my left arm.

"Stop!" I heard a powerful voice command. The people let me go, standing back. Taylor stood in the doorway in her dark glory. "Step away from Doctor Bates. We will let his own people conduct tests on him. This is out of our jurisdiction."

"But, Commander Momsen, it was on our base, by one of our own." One argued.

"Josephine was not one of us. She was apart of the FEC. Now, as for the right of our jurisdiction, if you want to contest it, I can point you in the happy direction of Captain Diaz. " Taylor walked past them to me. I was still panicking. "It's okay, Dustin. You're safe. We're going to get you home now." I started to calm down.

"Shay?" I asked, my throat dry and my voice cracked.

"Asleep, finally. Does she act like a child with you? We were easier to get down for naps as children than her as an adult for sleep for the first time in three days." She smiled at me. I smiled a little. t

"I'd believe it."

Taylor had the doctors work quickly to get me cleared, hoping to have the three of us back home by the end of the day. She sat by me the entire time. We talked about the FEC and what experiments they could be running, about their weaponry and what innovations they were attempting. Soon, the doctors were helping me stand, Taylor holding my shoulders from the front. It took two hours for the doctors to finally let me go.

"Let's go see Shay." She wrapped her arm around my waist while I put mine around her shoulders, leaning on her for support. We made our way to the suite quickly. I made my way by myself to the bed, sitting next to Shaylee. Taylor ducked out, closing the door behind her.

"Shay," I whispered, putting my hand on her hip. I leaned down to her face, kissing her cheek. "Let's go home, baby." She started to stir, groaning. "Are you going to get up or should I just tell Taylor we're staying?"

Shay's eyes snapped open and She sat straight up, looking at me.

"You're awake."

"So are you."

"You're a smart ass, Bates. " I smiled, leaning on and kissing her deeply. She put her hands on the side of my face, kissing me back feverishly. I smiled on against her lips, just trying to pull her closer.

"Can we please go home now? Taylor can come visit us next time!" Thomas interrupted our reunion, his voice right outside the door. I ignored him, pulling her into my lap. Her smile didn't leave him. She was ignoring him as well. At that moment, our impending departure didn't matter. All that did was just that we were together again.

"It was nice meeting you, Taylor." I shook the Runibor commander's hand, smiling. She smiled as well, patting me on the back.

"You, too, Dustin. Take good care of my girl? Alright?" She stepped back off the landing. Shay and Thomas had already boarded the jump ship, leaving me as the last one to say goodbye.

"Absolutely." She nodded to me before turning to walk back into the base. I walked into the ship, shutting the bay door behind me.

"Thomas," I called to the teen. "Yes, Taylor is welcome to visit us next time. Did you not like Runibor?" He didn't answer me. He just stared.

"Dr. Bates, I never said anything about Commander Momsen visiting us. I thought it, didn't say it. At least, I don't think I did." I raised my eyebrows.

"I could have sworn you said that earlier when you two were waiting on Shay and me." He shook his head, denying it. I sighed, deciding to drop the subject.

"I don't care for Runibor. Too many bad vibes. " I chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Can't blame you."

I still wasn't convinced he hadn't said for Taylor to visit us next time. Something was going on.

 


	8. Gravity of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaylee and Ben must deal with sharing power as they prepare for a full team mission.

Dustin sees a side of Shaylee he never has over her having yo share power, realizing that she has something deeper against Burnley than he realized.

"No fucking way." Shaylee was blunt. "I am not sharing power with anyone. Especially not him."

We all knew the fit was inevitable. Aston had managed to bypass it via our extended stay on Runibor, however, it had to come eventually. Unfortunately, the day had arrived and Shaylee was pissed for multiple reasons.

The tests they had run on me came back inconclusive. I was clear of all tracking devices, poisons, and genetic tampering. They had no idea what was in the vile.

Then, Ron refused to talk to her still. He was ashamed of what he had done. He hadn't said it very loudly, but he had mumbled that he was ashamed of what he had done and how it pained him still to look at her.

Adam and I had started bickering over the dumbest little things. Today, it was over which caliber of bullet could fill subdue a Carnivore. Shaylee's glare shut us up halfway through breakfast.

Brock was being her angel, though. She stayed by him, all but ignore the rest of us due to our childish behaviors.

"It's either that or you surrender your role in any leadership position." Aston was not playing around or bending to her will today either.

"No way! Not happening! Just leave me and my team alone. We are an efficient machine. Too many parts makes us clunky."

"But a machine must have innovation or it will fall behind into obscurity or break." Shay sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There has to be another way. I don't want to share power."

"Sucks to suck. I'm not letting a Carnivore run the team alone. I still don't fully trust you. And how convenient that your boyfriend had now been injected something by the FEC and we can't find out what it is!" Ben was in the room, too. And he wasn't helping.

"And how do we know you aren't an FEC spy? Where were you for ten years again?" Shay leaned up, resting her elbows on her knees.

"A small Messengers base on the other side of the next galaxy over. A practically deserted planet where the main population is refugees that were FEC slaves. The other half, that's where they put the sick Carnivores. It's a dumping ground." Ben leaned over Aaron's desk, his face moving closer to Shay's. "Maybe we should put you there."

The room went silent. Shaylee's eyes widened before she did something none of us saw coming.

Shaylee Marie Diaz spit in his face. 

  
"Call me a sick Carnivore again. I fucking dare you." Ben stayed silent and unmoving, just as the rest of the room. Shay was the first to move, her chair scooting back loudly as she stood up. "Think about this and think of sharing power is possible now, Aston." The door slammed behind her. It was the only sound for another ten seconds before Ben moving back, grabbing a tissue to wipe off the spit with.

"Captain Burnley, I am so sorry." I felt as if it was my responsibility to apologize for her behavior. I didn't mind Burnley. I understood that he had been through a lot.

"You don't need to apologize, Bates. I took it too far. But I don't trust her." He threw the tissue in the garbage can, leaning back against the wall where he had previously been.

"How about you all build some trust?" Brock suggested from the corner. He looked around at all of us before looking down. "Sorry. Stupid idea." Aston shook his head.

"No, Brock. That is a good idea." Aston sat back, leaning into his chair. "A mission, all of you. Together. It's either that or I lock you all in your hallway together."

"Mission. One of us would come out with a sheet over us if Diaz and I are locked in a small space together." Ben moved around to stand behind the rest of us.

"Fantastic. I have the perfect place for some true trust building. Adam, I will give you the coordinates. It's a simple supply drop in the other side of the galaxy. Quick, easy, painless." Aston smiled at us before dismissing us. I walked out of the room last, sighing as I ruffled my hair. I closed my eyes, knowing that it was going to be a dark couple of days.

"I'm sorry." I opened my eyes and looked over. Ben stood next to me, leaning against the wall. "I brought you into a battle that was not involving you. I just don't trust that we can't figure out what they injected into you."

"It's not that that's upsetting me. Why can't you and Shay just get along?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye. He sighed.

"I'm sorry. Just, every time I remember that she is a Carnivore, I think of my wife. I think of what happened to her. I think of the creature that ripped her heart out in front of me. I can't help it." He sank down to the floor. I sat down next to him.

"You can try to overcome it. You can learn that Shay is better than that. Shay wouldn't kill innocent. Shaylee broke the programming to stop innocent deaths. She is no ordinary Carnivore. She is a Human Carnivore. An oddity." He looked over at me.

"I'll try to be better," Ben promised, taking my hand before giving me a half smile. I did the same back.

"Thank you."   
  
  


"Shaylee Diaz, we meet again." I groaned as my back popped when I laid down beside her in the grass of the biodome. She didn't look at me, her sapphire eyes trained on the sky above her.

The stars had all decided to come out to play, dancing across the sky in a patterned dance of twinkles. She seemed at peace, though, I knew there was a storm raging behind her skull. She was rarely silent. When she was silent, it typically meant that she was thinking deeply, trying to reason things out with herself. It never ended well.

"What are you thinking about?" I reached over and took her hand. She laced our fingers, holding onto me. I pulled my black sweatshirt tighter around my shoulders.

"Ben. He and I had an interesting chat about our pasts. Very... eye opening. For both of us." She sighed deeply, almost shakily. I pulled her close, her head resting on my chest. "His wife was killed by a Carnivore. They were different, though. Their eyes weren't gray. They were blue, like mine. I can't help but wonder what kind of Carnivore it could be. What other monstrosity out there could have blue eyes like me?" I couldn't stop myself.

"Maybe Ben was right. Maybe you are a sick Carnivore." She bolted upright, staring at me. "Like, Carnivores that are out of the program." She relaxed into me again, taking another shaky breath.

"Sick Carnivores. Like a virus in the program. The shift from gray to blue. Sick Carnivores have blue eyes." I kissed her forehead gently, holding her closer. We sat in silence for some time, just watching the stars beyond the glass. It was mostly peaceful. We were together, safe. Everything felt okay.

"Dustin?"

"Yes, my love?"

"If I ever... If I ever go full Carnivore... If I ever get sick... please kill me. Somebody must kill me. I can't go on being like that. I wouldn't be living." She sounded scared, broken. Shay's fearless persona had dropped. She was afraid. I was afraid.

I never wanted to have to make that choice. I couldn't bare the thought of her turning into a mindless creature- a puppet of someone else's purpose. Then, I couldn't kill her either. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold a gun to her and pull the trigger, watch her body gently hit the floor and echo out of everyone around to hear.

I never answered her. I only kissed her head gently, wrapping my arms tighter around her frame. She seemed content with his response. She pressed the question no further, closing her eyes and tracing patterns into my stomach.

We remained in the bio-dome until Ron found us, forcing us out of our quiet, restful states. The three of us walked down the hallway and into the room at the end, the only open room in our hallway. It was like a communal living space, open to everyone in our isolated hallway.

The entire team sat waiting on silence. There was a lot to talk about, but nobody knew where to start. Brock, ever the one to break the ice.

"So, whose excited for tomorrow? Yay," he said quietly, looking around to get everyone's reaction. Adam nudged him with his shoulder.

"Tomorrow starts a new chapter of our history. Tomorrow is like the wedding: two teams become one. We take it. We tolerate it. We still stand united. If they want to stand next to us, that is they're decision. But we stand together. We are team 5501, regardless of what planet, what group, everything. Most importantly, we are a family." Shaylee spoke with the authority of a commander and the eloquence of a poet. Rhetoric. She had it.

"We stand beside you." Shaylee spun around, surprised to see Ben and his team standing in the doorway. She shook off her surprise quickly, nodding.

"Then we go down together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need my computer back. Bad.


	9. Back to the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes to Earth for the supply drop, but something is off about the people of the planet.

I gripped Shaylee's shoulder as I stood behind her, the group all standing in front to watch our descent into the orbit of the trashed planet. Ben's team stood silent and pale. It was where they had spent years.

"Welcome to Earth." Shaylee swallowed hard, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. I squeezed back, taking a deep breath to stand taller.

All morning, I had been thinking about the Seminar last year where Thomson had spoken. Will you let fear consume you? It had been ringing in my ears like a bad case of tinnitus. I just couldn't pin why. That was what had been scaring me. But now, knowing where we are going, I was petrified.

Moments later, we slowly landed in the cracked runway of the Messengers base. We all got the supplies ready to take in, until Ben stopped us.

"No, wait. We have to check first. Make sure that there are still people here," Ben instructed, locking the door so we couldn't get out.

"Why wouldn't people still be there?" Ron demanded, crossing his arms.

"This is the dumping ground for sick Carnivores." Aaron reminded us. Shay growled, kicking the one seat. "Which is why you need to stay on the ship, Captain Diaz." Shay's aggressive blue glare met his.

"Excuse me, but who the fuck do you think you are?" She moved closer, challenging him. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her from moving closer.

"Shay, he's right." I pulled her back into me, holding her back from attacking any of the former residents of the broken planet.

"You would be a beacon for Carnivores, drawing them from miles around. You reek to them. They'd come to destroy you. That's what they do. They kill the ones that are too sick. You're practically human. To them, you have terminal cancer. They would try to tear you to shreds," Ben explained, keeping eye contact. I was impressed. He didn't seem disgusted or angry. He seemed like a father explaining his reasoning to his child.

Shay sighed, leaning back into me.

"Fine. I'll stay put. Keep me updated." She turned to kiss my cheek before walking to the table in the center of the area, bringing up the camera feed. She had relinquished rights to leading the mission. Our lives were in Ben's hands.

"Okay, team, let's head out." We all exited the ship, making sure the door was closed. We walked into the compound, weapons drawn. Nobody said a word. Again, I thought of my project.

The Telepathic Project would benefit teams in these situations. When silence is necessary, quick communication could still occur. It would make life easier.

We made it to a door with a keypad, Ben quickly putting in five digits. The door opened, all of us then quickly filing through. Once inside, Ben's team lowered their weapons. We looked around, still searching for any signs of life. Suddenly, voices erupted in my head. I cringed, clutching my head.

There were so many that I couldn't differentiate between what each voice was saying. Brock grabbed me, holding me up as I laid all of my body weight on top of him. I could see Ben trying to talk to me, though I couldn't hear him; his voice just mixed with the others. I started to get dizzy, the room tilting. I let myself collapse to the floor, my vision starting to tunnel from the overwhelming amount of things going on. Brock allowed me to lay back, holding my head in his lap. My vision continued to go dark until there was nothing else. I was out. 

 

"Dustin, hey," I closed my eyes once more, hoping that my headache would subside. I felt gentle fingers threading through my hair, leaving a bit of relief when they would touch my skull. I felt another hand on my cheek, then lips on my forehead. I slowly opened my eyes, cringing as the light sent another wave of pain. 

I looked up at the figure blocking most of the harsh light. Shaylee. I sighed, relaxing into her. My head was against her chest, my body resting against her's. 

"How are you feeling?" She continued to pet my hair, letting her fingers move slowly through my scalp. I just groaned in response, closing my eyes again. 

"Is he awake yet?" Ben asked, walking over. I opened my eyes once more, looking at him. "Want to tell me what happened back there?" He pulled up a chair and sat facing us, his eyes trained on me, though. I noticed then that my glasses were off, probably being held by Shay if they had not been broken. Ben was a little blurry from his place standing in front of us. 

"There were all these voices in my head. I don't know what happened after that. It was just pain. There were too many and it was like having a room full of screaming people in my head." I closed my eyes once more, wrapping an arm around Shay's waist. I cuddled into her, just wanting her to take the pain away. She continued to play with my hair but put her free arm around me to hold onto me. 

"Well, thank whatever God is out there that there were still people on this base. Without them, we wouldn't have been able to help you or get Shay inside. They have metal that blocks out Carnivores from smelling even one of their own." Ben cracked his knuckles and sat down on the chair beside the couch we were on. I opened my eyes to look up at her again. She was the most beautiful girl in the world no matter what. 

Her hair was pulled back off of her face, just the ends held back, while the rest hung long. Her blue eyes held concern while the rest of her face was passive. She continued to hold onto me, trying to help sooth the pain that racked my head. I loved her. 

"So, there are people?" I managed, closing my eyes again and hiding them from the light by resting my head against the crook of her neck. 

"About three hundred and fifty. Ranging from ages two to seventy," he reported. I just hummed in response. 

"Ben, this can wait until later. Can't he just have time to rest and we can fill him in tomorrow?" Shay sighed, holding me tighter. He must have nodded in agreement, his leaving signaled by the sound of his boots walking away. I opened my eyes, looking up at Shay. "Do you want me to get the lights?" 

"Please?" She slowly moved from under me, crossing the room to flick off the lights before walking back over to the couch. There was just enough light that I could make out her figure as she laid down, pulling me on top of her. I was too tired and in too much pain to care about how much of my weight I was putting on her. I knew she could handle it, anyway. 

"Shay?" I asked, my head on her chest. 

"Yes?" She replied, her fingers combing through my hair again. 

"Are you sure we're safe on this planet?" She didn't answer me for a moment. She kissed the top of my head gently, sighing. 

"No," she whispered. "Something does not feel right. Something isn't right with you, this place, this planet. I'm concerned." 

I had noticed that she was allowing herself to be more transparent with me, confiding her fears in me. Something had changed in her. She was growing, becoming more human in the sense of our relationship. She wasn't just trusting in me, she was showing she trusted me. She was showing me the real her. It warmed my heart, sending fireworks shooting off inside of me. 

Not another word was spoken. We just laid there, her hand resting on my back and the other massaging my scalp. I felt safe with her. Even if she didn't think that we were safe, with her, I felt more than safe. She was my security. 

Home. The place where you are safe. Shaylee was home to me. With her was where I felt the safest, the warmest. She was my family, she was my everything. If I were to have died the next day, I wouldn't have been able to forget her. 

I could never forget her. Shaylee Diaz had changed my life. For forever, I would remember her.

 

 


	10. Last To Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is off at the Earth Base. How could everything go so wrong so fast?

When I woke up the next morning, Shay and I had shifted so that I was laying half on the couch and half on top of her, my head still resting over her heart. I could hear and feel it's steady beat, gently starting to lull me back to sleep.  I closed my eyes again, but then I felt her stir a little, her fingers slowly moving down the back of my neck and to my shoulders, rubbing them with a gentle hand.

"Good morning," she whispered through a yawn. I opened my eyes and let my arm that draped across her waist pull her closer to me. She giggled, holding onto me. "Does your head feel better?" I nodded, not bothering to open my eyes again. She slowly slid out from under me, standing up to stretch. "Are you going to get up or lay there all day?" 

I slowly peeled myself off of the couch, sitting up, then standing next to her. I saw my glasses on the coffee table that was in front of the couch, sliding them on my face. I looked over at Shay, finally seeing her face in the full crispness that my glasses provided me. I smiled lightly, just admiring her beauty. She looked over at me, raising an eyebrow. 

"What?" She questioned, reaching over to take my hand. I smiled brighter, lacing our fingers together. 

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Shay." We walked out of the room together, looking around at the people passing us. We quickly made our way to the main control room of the base. As soon as we entered, we saw Ben standing against the doorway watching the room around him. We stood next to him, none of us saying a word for several minutes. 

"It feels good to be home." Ben finally broke our silent watching. Shay reached over and took his hand, connecting the three of us. 

"Home. Such a funny idea," she thought out loud. I squeezed her hand, encouraging her to save her thoughts and comments for later. She was quiet about her lack of understanding on the matter for the rest of the day. 

"Something has changed, though. I can feel it. Something is very... wrong. There are more adults than when I left. Nobody comes to this planet- not without a purpose." Ben's intense eyes scanned the room, watching each and every person carefully. "Fewer Carnivore attacks. That shouldn't be." He sighed, continuing to look around. 

"Shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, Burnley." Shay nudged his shoulder with her own. He nudged her back, smirking down at her. 

"If I didn't look one in the mouth, how would I know if it is a trick or not?"  

"True." She shrugged, leaning back against the wall. The two were as mirrors. It was a scary concept. Soon, the entire team was in the control room, standing next to us against the back wall. It was only after Adam entered the room that the doors all shut around us, closing us in. Ben's team looked at each other confused. It was out of the ordinary. 

"Where's John? Shouldn't he be here?" Ben called out to the closest person. The woman just stared at him, blue eyes piercing. Their eyes look familiar. 

"John has died. Many have died." The reply was blank, emotionless. Shay's eyes narrowed. Something was very wrong. She leaned over to Ben, whispering something. He took a deep breath in, slowly reaching behind him to where he had a gun stored. The man never went anywhere without one. He gripped it tightly, knuckles turning white. 

We all continued to stand against the wall, the air thick with tension and anticipation.  I kept trying to think where their eyes all looked so familiar. It was so, so familiar, but I couldn't place it. I stood thinking it over and over, wracking my brain for the answer and the place to recall where they were from. I looked over at Shay. When she looked back, the answer stared me right in the face. 

"Sick Carnivore..." I breathed, my eyes wide. "Shay... they're all sick." She nodded, leaning in to whisper in my ear. 

"They act like I did when I first changed. However, my programming was stripped. They still have traces of the programming. Their loyalty lies with-" she was cut off by a door slamming open. A man stormed in, flanked by creatures in long, black robes, gray eyes shining through. 

"Dearest Shaylee! I've come home!" The man himself had sparkling blue eyes that mirrored Shay's, with salt and pepper black hair. His wild smile also reminded me of Shay's. It was him: Diaz. Shay growled, sending all eyes but the team's to her. We were the only humans in the room. We were surrounded. 

"Father." She greeted him harshly, eyes glaring at him. If looks could kill, he would have been dead on spot, but alas, we did not have the upper hand. He sighed, snapping. 

"Shame. Shaylee, I thought that you would welcome me." He walked closer, standing in front of her. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends? Or should I guess?" She didn't respond. "I'll go by the records." He moved down to the end of the line, where Adam stood. "Adam Gilbert," then to Ron, "Ron DeChant, your best friend," then to Brock, "Brock Richards," then he stopped at me. "And you, you are the most special one out of all of them." 

I tried to move away from him, only pressing my back further into the wall. He got very close to my face, which only caused Shaylee to get angry. She moved in front of me, stopping him from getting closer. She was trying to protect me, as always. 

"That confirms my suspicions. Doctor Dustin Bates, your lover." He sighed, walking back from us. Shay only moved slightly, her body still shielding my right side. "When I created the Carnivore program, I never thought that one could regain any emotion; let alone love. That one is the most complex. Especially for one who was never been loved."

Shaylee stood silent. I could tell that that one stung. It was her own father admitting that she was nothing but a pawn to him. Valuable, but without value all the same.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you all, but now, I must collect what I came here for." He snapped, the Carnivores started approaching us. In pairs, they grabbed each of us, no matter how hard we resisted. Shay, though, broke through them.

It was just like in the simulation: all of us powerless, but Shaylee, powering through and trying to reach him. It was terrifying. Eventually, seven of them managed to hold her down long enough for Diaz to slap a collar around her throat. He then hit a button on the small remote in his hand, sending an electrical charge through the collar and then through her body. She didn't scream; she endured it, fighting to stand up and walk towards him, murderous intentions clear in her eyes.

He shocked her again, the charge strong enough to bring her to her knees momentarily before standing back up. She fought through the pain to get to him before he shocked her with more charge. Once she was on her knees again, another Carnivore kicked her in the head, hard enough to knock her out. He breathed heavily, looking around at the numerous Carnivores.

"Knock all of them out but Bates. I want a word with him in private." His orders were swiftly carried out, my comrades around me falling unconscious but hits of the strong creatures. Once they were all out, he looked at me. "They're strong. All of them, but her, she is the strongest. I forgot that." He knelt down, grabbing her wrist before letting it go.

"Get away from her, you sick bastard," I growled. He chuckled, looking over at me.

"Silly boy," he walked over to me, kneeling in front of me. "She should be the last thing on your mind." I tried to be taller, struggling to straighten my back against the oppression of the Carnivores.

"She is always the first thing on my mind as to where she is the last on yours," I spit back. He smiled.

"You're very wrong, Doctor Bates." He stood up, looking down at me. "She is always on my mind. My greatest failure and success all in one." He turned to look down at her body. "She could be better. She will be better." He seemed to have decided this long ago. He's was unsatisfied. She was his unfinished masterpiece.

"She's not a project. She's a human," I argued. He shook his head.

"No, no. She's more than human. More than superhuman. You, you're superhuman. Josephine made you that way. You were the first human experiment of her project. Seemed to have worked, but you lack control." He turned to me. "Tell me, Bates. Does it hurt having all those voices, all those thoughts, running rampant in your mind?" My eyes widened as everything clicked into place.

"You all solved telepathy. It's all on genetic engineering, not technology." I had what I set out to create, but it was wrong and tainted. It wasn't what I had imagined.

"Exactly. You're a smart man, Bates. I can see why Shaylee likes you over the blonde one. Ron? Right?" He knew. How did he know? "Doesn't matter. All that matter is that she has chosen you for now." He waved his hand dismissively at the idea.

I was angry, furious. He was playing games and it made me angry. What was he trying to win?

"Though, all of you are quite attached to my daughter. I've no idea why. It's not like she can unlock her true potential with you all, masquerading as a human. But it's what is keeping you all alive. I want you to feel the pain of your mistakes. Feel the pain of your loss. She's out of your hands, Bates. And you all played into mine."

That was the last thing I remembered. The next thing I knew, I was on a rescue ship filled with Messengers. There, they informed me that Shaylee had been taken. We had failed.

 


	11. Bringing It Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dustin becomes less human at the disappearance of Shaylee. The team returns to Runibor to help Commander Momsen lead in the search.

 Runibor was bustling as ever. As were the last time I had visited the base, it had been quiet and relaxed. This time, everybody was moving fast and talking faster. Momsen was the loudest of them all, yelling orders when she was frustrated with the lack of information her team was supplying. My ears had just recovered when she had done such. She sat down behind her desk, throwing her boot-clad feet on her heavy desk. 

"I swear, why can't anybody get a solid lead?" She put her hand against her forehead, rubbing her temples to attempt to reduce the headache that she had most likely had from the stress of the situation. 

I wanted to console her, but I needed it myself. It had been three weeks since Shaylee had vanished, and Runibor was leading up trying to find her. The team had been transferred, allowed to work on the case with the Messengers of Runibor. All of us were working closely in any way we could, searching any known bases of the FEC for some sign of her, but every attempt came up blank. Raid after raid, it was all futile. 

"They wouldn't have her somewhere we could raid. They'd be smart to keep her on their main base." Ben was much calmer than the rest of us. Brock and Adam were leading raids, but Ron was reclusing, trying to keep his worry for his unrequited love quiet. 

I knew Ron loved her. It was obvious. The only one who took her loss as hard as Taylor and I was him. He wouldn't make a big deal about it. He knew his place and tried to stay in it, but her being gone made it harder for him to keep it. 

"Then she must be on Alexi." Taylor sat up, moving to her computer. She started to type something, clearly organizing something for an Alexian mission. 

"Taylor," Ben said, getting the blonde girl's attention. "I think that we should lead this. Just a small recon group. We go in, full raid on a level eight planet, one that doesn't even have an idea of what they harbor, we would be annihilated. But, if just a few of us sneak in, we could do it." She slid back from the computer, looking at the two of us. 

"Okay. The three of us. That's it. I take point." She reminded me of Shay at that moment. Her eyes were intense and determined. I could see the blue fire in her that burned in Shay as well. It made me smile, but it reminded me of the first time I had met Shay. 

I remembered that intense blue fire in her eyes and she gripped my tie tightly. I remembered the anger and determination, but then, I remembered who held her back. I remembered the person who always held her back. 

"No. Four of us. Ron needs in on this as well. If we find Shay in a state that isn't truly Shay, I'm thinking that he can handle it." The two looked at me. They knew about Ron's crush on Shay. They were both floored at the idea of me suggesting that. 

To them, the idea of me stepping out of the way of being Shay's knight in shining armor was foreign to them. It didn't seem right to them. They were heroes. Shaylee Diaz was my hero, my knight in shining armor. I couldn't be her hero. I wasn't strong enough. 

"Okay." Taylor nodded, sliding her chair back. "I'll start talking preparations. Get some rest, boys." She left her office in a swirl of black sweater and blonde hair. She radiated a command that was unparalleled. It was impressive. 

Ben and I stood from our comfortable chairs, walking out of the office as well. We walked in silence, the company of our thoughts sufficient enough. I stopped when I reached Ron's room. 

"Hey, I'll see you tomorrow." I waved to him, telling him to go on. He nodded, waving back at me as he continued on his way. I stood before Ron's door, taking a deep breath before knocking soundly twice. A couple of moments later, the door opened. "Hey, Ron." I scratched the back of my head, rocking back on my heels. 

"Hey, Dustin. What do you need?" He stood behind the door, only his face visible. 

"Can I come in and talk? There are just some things going on and I think you need to be clued in." He moved out of the way, opening the door the rest of the way. I walked in, taking a seat on the couch in the corner of the room. He sat down on his bed across from me. 

"We have a theory on where Shay is. We're doing a recon mission in a week or so. Just us, Ben, and Taylor. I also believe that there is a mole in The Messengers. Though, I think they have a higher-up position than what the girl here had. Diaz knew more than a typical informant would."

"Dustin, what if it's someone we trust? Someone close to Shaylee?" Ron crossed his arms. 

"She's not close enough to anyone outside of the group and Aston. And I don't think that Aston would betray Thomson," I stood up, pacing. There was silence between us for a few seconds. 

"You haven't been yourself since you came home from here last time. You're on edge. Constantly." Ron had a point. I had grown unsure of my sanity. I was hearing voices in my head since I had woken up from the sleep the medicine put me in. 

"I know," I sighed. "It messed me up. Something changed in me. I'm hearing voices that aren't there, thinking that I hear people say things that they haven't... I'm not okay, Ron." He furrowed his eyebrows together, lips pursing together. 

"Dustin, what if you have been hearing people's thoughts? What if they cracked telepathy?" 

"Ron, you're not suggesting that they used me as a guinea pig," I protested, glaring at him. 

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Just try it. What am I thinking of?" He stared me dead in the eyes, waiting. 

"Ron, no. This is stupid."

"Yeah, I know you are. Just do it." I sighed, rolling my eyes as I concentrated on him. 

_I really just want a peanut butter sandwich._

"Then go get one." 

"What am I going to get, Dustin?" 

"A peanut butter sandwich?" He stared at me wide-eyed. 

"Yeah," he breathed. "This is incredible. Let's try another one!"

The rest of the night was spent trying things with the newfound ability. We continued this practice the next day, me sitting in the control room and reading people's thoughts as they passed by me. I was proud of myself for getting control of it so quickly after discovering it. The only problem was that Ben caught on very quickly. He then pushed me to send thoughts back for full communication. Luckily, we got that down pretty quickly then, too. 

We continued to add the rest of the team into it, having full telepathic communication back and forth. It was becoming a tool for us. We were going to find Shaylee. 

We were going to use the FEC's weapon against them. 

 


	12. Unbecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaylee Diaz is dead. Dustin knows it.

Screaming. That was all that surrounded the girl. She wasn't sure where it was coming from, whether herself or some other source. What else it could be, she had no idea. In the past weeks, she had seen nobody other than her father, his scientists, and a few carnivores that threw her back and forth as the people tested their newest theories on her body. 

After so long of holding everything inside, Shaylee's emotions were torn open. She felt like she was bleeding out everything she had never felt. It was sorrow in the truest form. Torture. She had tear stains streaking her face constantly. The pain of the injections, drawing of blood, electrical shocks all correlated to the point where her brain could not handle it, producing the only thing that it could: tears. 

That only made it worse. When the tears started, they would add electricity to her body, sending everything in her sizzling and screaming for it to stop. They constantly refused. Nothing could stop the pain. By the end, no tourniquet could stop the blood flow. There was too much damage. It was irreversible. 

"Commander Diaz, about the girl..." The scientist stood in front of the door where Shaylee was to be. The commander came regularly to check the progress of his most prized possession. 

"What about her?" The commander sounded very short with the slow progress of his project. 

"Commander, Shaylee has died." The graying man stood fuming at the news. 

"Did you attempt resuscitation?! She's strong enough to handle it! I engineered her!" He screamed at the man. The scientist coward against the door that hid the dead body of the Carnivore. 

"N-no, sir." The man shoved the scientist out of the way. 

"Want something done right? Do it your own damn self," he grumbled, opening the door and shutting it behind him. He moved the sheet that laid over the body of his blood daughter. Her eyes were closed, her straight hair splayed out around her head like a halo of darkness. Diaz growled, baring his teeth at the disappointment his daughter had become. 

He moved over to where the output of the electricity they had been charging her with was. He grabbed the metal rod and held it over her chest, starting to charge it with the current. He plunged it down into her chest, stopping it just above her heart. The charge shot through Shaylee's body, jump-starting everything. The girl's eyes opened suddenly, the blue truly electric as the current transferred through her entire body. 

The commander pulled the rod out, blood pooling around the opening of the wound. Shaylee was hurt, but alive. He could continue. Her body did not stop crackling after the electricity was taken. Diaz smirked. 

"Shaylee," he called to her. She looked to him, her eyes unblinking. "What are you, Shaylee?" Without hesitation, she responded to him. 

"A Carnivore. The first Carnivore." 

"What were you created to do?" The man felt pride well up in his chest. He had broken her, put her back under the original programming. All she needed was just a little jump start. 

"I was created to destroy The Messengers." 

"Every last one of them?" 

"All of them." 

"Even Doctor Bates?" The wheels inside the man's head were turning. If he had Shaylee back under his control, he could take down The Messengers without a doubt. He wouldn't even require the help of his informant, Doctor Aston Wise. 

"Even Doctor Bates." 

"Perfect. Then you have your first order. Execute Doctor Dustin Bates." 

In a moment of hesitation at the name, Diaz was concerned that the name had the ability to shake the programming out of Shaylee once more. However, he knew he had victory when she answered him. 

"Yes, sir." 

 

 

I opened my eyes, looking at Ben. 

"Did you find her?" He walked over, placing his hand on my shaking shoulder. I nodded, my eyes welling with tears as I stared down the FEC Carnivore we had captured from the base on Alexi. 

"I found her." I blinked, sending the tears down my cheeks. "Kill it." I glared at the disgusting creature in front of me. It was simply a pawn. It sat back and watched Shay die. It deserved to be killed. 

Ben nodded, looking to Ron who led me out of the room, not allowing me to see the death of the Carnivore.

 


End file.
